Helping Your Child’s Transition to Primary School

A child’s transition from kindergarten to primary is a big step towards their growth and one can clearly see that the child goes through a lot of mood swings, anxiety and fear of the new environment. As parents, it is important that you help the child step into primary school with as little anxiety as possible. Here are some ways by which you can reduce your child’s anxiety.

1. Talk – children love to talk, but when it comes to expressing their fear of the unknown, it is difficult for them to talk. Try a short story about your own childhood and first day of primary school, the fears you faced and engage the child to talk about it. This will help the child understand what to expect and how to go about facing the new challenges that lie ahead.

2. Try to meet the new classmates – if the child is moving into primary in the same school, chances are that the child’s friends are also moving in. Meet up with them before the start of the school year to help all the children bond better. This will also help reduce the anxiety of moving to primary school.

3. Test run – many schools allow children to come into the class a couple of days before the actual start of the academic sessions. Take your child to the school and show him/her around, the class, the washroom, the play area, spends some time there. This will help the child relax and be calm on the first day of school.

4. Practice what is already learnt – transition to primary school does not only involve the emotional journey that the child takes, but also the intellectual journey that is kick-started. Parents can buy/ make worksheets to help the child prepare themselves to face the new academic year without much stress of studies. There are many workbooks available in the market to help children transition to primary school and flipClass Genius Kids workbooks are one such set of books that help the child practice math, science and English with ease.

5. Daily schedule – till the time, the child is in Kindergarten, she spends little time in the school. Moving to primary classes will mean that the child spends a considerable amount of time in the school as well. Parents need to help the child cope with the new timings in the school by being with them when they return from school, talk to them and ease their stress.

A child’s transition to primary school is not only important for the child, but also for parents. Parents need to be calm to pass on the same vibes to the child. This is why every parent must know how and what to help the child in this transition process.